COMPARATIVE STUDY OF VITAMIN C AND PHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF CONVENTIONALLY GROWN FRAGARIA XANANASSA (STRAWBERRIES) OF SINDH

Abstract

Vitamin C is one of the most vital nutrient found in strawberries (Fragaria xananassa). Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant by scavenging oxygen radical very efficiently and suppresses the development of tumor cells in human body. The objective of the current research is to compare the vitamin C content and some physical parameters of conventionally grown strawberries of Sindh to prove those a key foundation of vitamin C. For this purpose strawberries samples collected from various locations of Sindh. The content of vitamin C in these samples was analyzed by applying classical method (iodometry) and was found as 51.2 mg/100g to 72.0 mg/100g. Moisture content in samples was calculated through oven drying method (AOAC) and was recorded in the range of 84.0 % to 91.3 % while the pH of samples ranges from 2.62 to 2.73. The obtained results compared with the reported worldwide data and highlighted that the conventional cultivation of strawberries in Sindh has effective nutrients and can be consumed as a good source of natural antioxidant supplement. Key words: Vitamin C, Fragaria xananassa, antioxidant, iodimetry, iodometry, pH-metery.